Introduction

MOONDROP is a brand that has made a strong mark in the world of in-ear monitors with impressive offerings in the $100 price range courtesy the new Aria, good tuning for a TWS set with the MOONDROP Sparks, and rounding things off with another strong contender in the $200 market, the KATO. I have a couple of other MOONDROP products here based on my positive experience with the brand, including an interesting portable DAC/amp, but the subject of today’s review is MOONDROP’s latest entry-level offering aiming squarely at the budget market where a lot of sales are but products tend to be reviewed less. Thanks to SHENZHENAUDIO for providing TechPowerUp a review sample.

With a product named Chu, there is plenty opportunity for a pun about a hype train going chu chu. But a closer look reveals the name is anglicized for 竹 (Zhú, meaning Bamboo), and it is at least partly marketing that had MOONDROP realize Zhú would be harder to pronounce for the global market. Regardless, this is a budget set you can also get with an in-line microphone, although I have the standard version without one here. Both have a fixed cable, which brought back memories of the FiiO x JadeAudio JD3 covered before. How does the MOONDROP Chu compare then, especially with the impressive Tripowin Lea recently discussed? Let’s find out in our review starting with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications